Sounding figure wheel toy



Jan. 17, 1950 w. WISOFF SOUNDING FIGURE WHEEL TOY Filed April 24, 1947 o f Z5 1.3

INVENTOR William Wz s'ozfi ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 17, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT FFl'C-E SOUNDING FIGURE WHEEL TOY William Wisoff, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application April 24, 1947, Serial No. 743,567

1 Claim. 1

My invention is an improvement in toys, especially toys having the forms of birds or other animals, and with movable parts to give them an animated appearance.

An object of this invention is to provide a toy preferably resembling a duck having several members loosely attached to the body thereof and independently operated by the effect of their own inertia, as the toy is handled or pulled about, to make it lifelike in the highest degree.

Another object is to provide a toy of peculiar design such that sounds in imitation of the creatures voice are produced by the actuation of appropriate members within the body of the toy.

The nature and advantages of the invention are explained at length in the following description, but changes, not necessarily shown herein, can be adopted without really altering the general construction in which the invention resides.

On the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side view of a toy according to this invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section; and

Figure 3 is a transverse section through the lower part of the body thereof.

The toy duck comprises a body I, having movable legs 2, a movable head 3, a bill with movable lower part t, and movable eyes 5 in the head 2. The toy has an eyelet 6 afiixed to it in front, for the end of a string so that it can be pulled over any supporting surface.

The body has a cavity l in the bottom, and in this cavity are two rollers 8. These rollers are mounted, one at each side of this cavity on a transverse shaft 9. The rollers which receive the shaft 5 are preferably elliptical. Hence, as the toy is moved from one place to another and the rollers turn with the shaft 9, the body rocks from side to side in imitation of a ducks waddling gait. The rollers are rigid with the shaft which rotates in a U-shaped bearing member it secured in the cavity 1 of the body I.

Aiiixed at the front of the cavity '1 is a reed H, supported at one end only. This reed extends rearward, and its opposite end is free. Keyed on the shaft 9 between the rollers 8 is a toothed wheel 12 upon which the free end of the reed presses. The rotation of the shaft thus causes vibration of the reed H, resulting in cracklin sounds not unlike the quackin of a living bird of this kind.

Upon the outer sides of the body are studs or journals 13 on which are the legs 2 with webbed feet. These parts or members hang freely from the studs or journals 13. The head 3 and neck are pivoted on a post l4 rising from the body and can swing from side to side. Also the lower part 4 of the bill is pivotally mounted at its inner end to work up and down. Inside the head 3, which is hollow, the eyeballs 5 are rigidly secured to the inner or pivoted end of the jaw 4 by projections or short bars Hi,

When the duck is pulled by means of a cord in the eyelet 6, the body rolls on the rollers 8, wobbling from side to side, and making noises generated by the action of the ratchet [2 on the reed I 6. Also as the body I rocks on the eccentric rollers 8, the legs 2 swing back and forth, the head 3 sways from side to side, the lower jaw 5 moves up and down and the eyeballs 5 appear and disappear at the apertures !5. The entire toy thus seems full of life and movement, and becomes fully articulate, the noises Suggesting anger, alarm or other feelings, and the general effect is amusing in a large measure. The toy is thus capable of a number of original antics; is simple and inexpensive to produce and easy to operate, and well adapted to serve its intended purpose.

The jaw or lower part 3 of the bill has bearings or eyelets I! through which passes a pin 18 on which the assembled jaw and two eyeballs are hung. The pin i8 is mounted at its ends in the head 3. The jaw and eyeballs carry one or more balance weights I9, each secured to the jaw by an arm 20. This weight or weights can swing Past the stem l4, and the effect is to make the 7. a

jaw and eyeballs move easily. X i

The body has studs 25 at each side at the top to engage projections 22 on the neck and. limit the sidewise motion of the head. At the rear the body has beneath it a steadying roller 23. 1

The invention can of course be embodied in the forms of other bipeds, whether birds or animals, or even four-footed creatures as well.

Having described my invention, what I believe to be new is:

A toy resembling a natural biped having a body with a cavity in the bottom, a transverse shaft in said cavity, oval shaped rollers secured thereto at different radial angles on said shaft, a flexible vibratory reed mounted at one end in said cavity, a toothed wheel fixed on the shaft with its teeth engaging a free portion of said reed, and members forming a hollow head and bill, a vertical post on which the head is supported to oscillate sidewise, the lower part of the bill being pivotally attached to the head, and elements forming eyeballs in said head supported by said part,thehead having apertures in the sides with which said eyeballs move into and out of 'registry, and said pert having a REFERENCES CITED counterbalancmg weight amxed thereto the The following references are of record in the tion of said toy on said rollers over a. surface prome of this patent:

ducing a rocking motion of the toy, and thus effecting the oscillation of said head and the 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS swinging of said weight to raise and lower said Number Name Date part of the bill and move said eyeballs in said 1,447953 Herschmann Mar 6, 1923 head as aforesaid, the shaft at the same time 1.572 751 Nakamum Feb. 9 1926 turning said toothed wheel to cause said reed to 1:668:0o5 Daugherty M ay 1928 glve forth smmd' 1,678,519 Lynch July 24, 1923 WILLIAM I Davis Feb. 12, 

